Appraisal of Life: Chapter 1
A/N: I had so many unfinished stories that were undeveloped and were scrapped. A lot of their elements were put into this one.
Jean Arclight pushed another one into the river.
Noel was the name of the island bordering that river; most people have never thought about the world beyond their isolation. In fact, the river's name is the River of Isolation - the only body of water ever to be touched by Noelians. The ocean on the other side of the island was too fierce for any man to sail; tides pummeled the thin but sturdy transparent barrier surrounding the land, Noel's last line of defense. Red brick houses lined up in neat little rows, bordered by evergreen trees. There was almost always a bed of snow covering the ground; given its name, it seemed like eternal Christmas.
Except the Noelians had no concept of Christmas.
There were too many corpses on the street. In an act of sanitation, the government threw all of them into the river, carried away by the current. Noelians had considered the ocean as an alternate destination, but the dome-barrier blocked them off from everything except for the river, which separated from Noel by a barred gate. The river truly belonged to them, the one resource that was left untaxed. Oxygen was the next cheapest commodity, but the tax still ate into the people's bare wages. Many died from starvation or sickness, as the eternal winter punished malnutrition. Noelians were eternally cold.
And then there was the number.
Every Noelian wore a number on either the left or right forearm. That number determined the value of their lives. It wasn't a timer or a price, and it fluctuated depending on a person's health. Jean's read, "LP 3400". The "LP" stood for Life Points. When a person's Life Points dropped to zero, that person was surely dead. Some people believed that humans are born with 100 Life Points.
As he washed his hands, he saw other numbers, sometimes in green, sometimes in red: 754, 3902, 2500. 754 belonged to a frail old man who should not be working anymore, but he was the only breadwinner of his family. When the man tripped, Jean swore that he saw the man's Life Points drop to 720.
Jean swiped his ID card on a machine, registering his service hours. Every work capable Noelian had to meet a quota to be paid at all. The mysterious place called Cardinal City, home of the central government, doled the wages. The government was responsible for every aspect of the Noelian's lives except for their Life Points, because "your life belongs to you."
On the way home, Jean witnessed a public execution. The criminal was caught with an illegal card in his hands, along with a Duel Disk. His Life Points were floating, on display on top of his head for everyone to see: "LP 200."
The criminal had no fear in his eyes. "One day, you'll all pay for your sins."
An official stood before him, armed with a metal Duel Disk. He had a number as well: "LP 8000."
"Vile upstarts will be extinguished," he said. "That is the natural law."
His family members were horrified as a terrifying dragon appeared from the ground, apparently controlled by the officials, and ripped the man and his Duel Disk apart while his number became 0 and disintegrated.
As the crowd cleared up and the mess was cleaned, Jean noticed a glint of green on the floor. Without thinking, he pocketed the card that got the man killed.
At home, Jean took a good look at the card. A beautiful angel was depicted, and the art seemed to glow. The card was called "Graceful Charity."
"Charity," the official had yelled, "has no place in this country!"
Jean quickly looked at his arm. LP 3351. It's been a while since he had rested.
His house was just one big room, excluding the bathroom. With no living parents, Jean took care of his younger sisters as a father figure.
"I summon Shapesnatch!"
The older sister, Rose, cheerfully threw down a card. "Shapesnatch attacks directly! Now your Life Points are at 0. You lose, Annie."
"Aww…" Annie's Life Points were actually a little bit higher, but she did not understand the sanctity of that number.
Jean lied down in a chair and opened a newspaper, only to be interrupted by a banging on the door. He was greeted by two uniformed officials and an oddly dressed archer. One of the officials had an activated Duel Disk.
"O2 taxes, sir!"
"I paid yesterday," said Jean. He quickly produced a receipt.
"Property taxes, sir!" The second official's Duel Disk screen displayed a check list.
Jean gulped. He had forgotten about that.
"I'll pay tomorrow, double," he said. "I'm getting paid tomorrow-"
"Excuses do not belong in this country!" said the first official. "Your life is your right, but living it is a privilege! If you do not work, you shall not live!"
"But I told you, I'm getting paid tomor-"
The official pushed Jean aside and looked at the two children. "If you do not work, you shall not live!" He stepped to the side. "Yaichi! Dispose of these!"
Before Annie could realize what would happen, the archer shot an arrow to her head.
Rose screamed as she tried to run, but Yaichi's arrow got her through her ears before she could get up.
"Monsters!" Jean was close to attacking the official with the Duel Disk, but he held back after thinking about the repercussions.
"You have ten hours to pay!" The archer dissolved, and the officials left the house.
Jean kneeled next to his sisters' bodies. He clutched his chest full of agony and cursed the heavens.